Philoclean Society
Encyclopedia
The Philoclean Society at Rutgers University
in New Brunswick, New Jersey
is one of the oldest collegiate
literary societies
in the United States, and among the oldest student organizations at Rutgers University. Founded in 1825, the society was one of two such organizations—the other being the Peithessophian Society—on campus devoted to the same purpose.
The name Philoclean derives from the Ancient Greek
for “lover of glory” from Φιλειν meaning "to love," and κλεος, meaning “glory.”
. Before fraternities
, publications, and other extracurricular activities became common, these groups--which generally bore Greek
or Latin names--were the sole source of undergraduate social life. Indeed, it was not unusual for two or more groups to coexist at one institution, often in competition. Surviving examples include the Philodemic Society
at Georgetown University
, Union-Philanthropic Society
at Hampden-Sydney College
, the Philolexian Society
at Columbia University
, the Philomathean Society
of the University of Pennsylvania
, the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
, the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society
at The University of Virginia and the American Whig-Cliosophic Society
at Princeton University
.
The Philoclean Society of Rutgers College was founded 8 December 1825 under the auspices of William Craig Brownlee
, a professor of Greek and Roman languages. The rival Peithessophian Society had been started just weeks earlier, enlisting the entire senior class as charter members. Thus, Philoclean's charter membership was of necessity drawn from the junior and sophomore classes which instituted a significant rivalry between the two societies, known as ‘’Philo’’ and ‘’Peitho’’ to students and alumni. The society, in its initial form, endured until 1890s, when along with the Peithessophian Society, closed in 1898.
Several literary societies sought to fill the gap left by the decline of both societies, but a full revival did not begin until 1907 when the Literary Society of Rutgers College was formed, and later took the name “Philoclean.” This society was markedly different from the original, chiefly focusing on the discussion of literature, and less attention to debate and oration. However, the society founded the Interscholastic Debating League for secondary schools across three states in 1914, and organized a rival society, the Philalethean Literary Society at the New Jersey College for Women (now Douglass College) in 1920. The society, however, declined and ceased to exist in 1932.
The societies engaged in rivalry by acquiring honorary members, who were believed in publicizing their acceptance, to raise the prestige of the society, serving to benefit the society through fundraising, as well as the donation of books and other materials. Honorary members leading historical, political, and literary figures of the nineteenth century, including most notably James Buchanan
, Mark Twain
, Fitz-Greene Halleck
, Thomas Alva Edison, and Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
. However, In 1879, when American humorist and author
Mark Twain
was invited, and accepted honorary membership in the Philoclean Society, he did not render the customary monetary donation.
In the same capacity that he was only partly accepted as a member of the Rutgers Glee Club, the singer, athlete, Rutgers valediction 1919 and political radical, Paul Robeson
was elected to the Philoclean Society in 1917 without being allowed to fully share in its festivities due to the racist climate in the United States at the time.
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
is one of the oldest collegiate
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
literary societies
Literary society
A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of literature or a specific writer. Modern literary societies typically promote research about their chosen author or genre, publish newsletters, and hold...
in the United States, and among the oldest student organizations at Rutgers University. Founded in 1825, the society was one of two such organizations—the other being the Peithessophian Society—on campus devoted to the same purpose.
The name Philoclean derives from the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
for “lover of glory” from Φιλειν meaning "to love," and κλεος, meaning “glory.”
History
The Philoclean Society is one of many literary societies that flourished at the nation's early colonial collegesColonial colleges
The Colonial Colleges are nine institutions of higher education chartered in the American Colonies before the United States of America became a sovereign nation after the American Revolution. These nine have long been considered together, notably in the survey of their origins in the 1907 The...
. Before fraternities
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
, publications, and other extracurricular activities became common, these groups--which generally bore Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
or Latin names--were the sole source of undergraduate social life. Indeed, it was not unusual for two or more groups to coexist at one institution, often in competition. Surviving examples include the Philodemic Society
Philodemic Society
The Philodemic Society is a student debating organization at Georgetown University. It was founded in 1830 by Father James Ryder, S.J., in whose honor an award is given every Spring at the Merrick Debate. The Philodemic is among the oldest such societies in the United States and is the oldest...
at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, Union-Philanthropic Society
Union-Philanthropic Society
The Union-Philanthropic Society is a college literary society at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia.For over two centuries, the Union-Philanthropic Society has offered Hampden-Sydney a unique forum for discussion...
at Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden–Sydney College is a liberal arts college for men located in Hampden Sydney, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1775, Hampden–Sydney is the oldest private charter college in the Southern U.S., the last college founded before the American Revolution, and one of only three four-year,...
, the Philolexian Society
Philolexian Society
The Philolexian Society of Columbia University is one of the oldest college literary societies in the United States, and the oldest student group at Columbia...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, the Philomathean Society
Philomathean Society
The Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania is a collegiate literary society, the oldest student group at the university, and a claimant to the title of the oldest continuously-existing literary society in the United States.This claim is disputed between the Philomathean Society and...
of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society
Jefferson Literary and Debating Society
The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society is a debating and literary society at the University of Virginia. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest organization at The University and one of the oldest continuously existing debating societies in North America....
at The University of Virginia and the American Whig-Cliosophic Society
American Whig-Cliosophic Society
The American Whig–Cliosophic Society is a political, literary, and debating society at Princeton University and the oldest debate union in the United States...
at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
.
The Philoclean Society of Rutgers College was founded 8 December 1825 under the auspices of William Craig Brownlee
William Craig Brownlee
William Craig Brownlee was an American clergyman, professor of languages and author. He was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland and was the fourth son of the Laird of Torfoot. President William McKinley was a distant cousin....
, a professor of Greek and Roman languages. The rival Peithessophian Society had been started just weeks earlier, enlisting the entire senior class as charter members. Thus, Philoclean's charter membership was of necessity drawn from the junior and sophomore classes which instituted a significant rivalry between the two societies, known as ‘’Philo’’ and ‘’Peitho’’ to students and alumni. The society, in its initial form, endured until 1890s, when along with the Peithessophian Society, closed in 1898.
Several literary societies sought to fill the gap left by the decline of both societies, but a full revival did not begin until 1907 when the Literary Society of Rutgers College was formed, and later took the name “Philoclean.” This society was markedly different from the original, chiefly focusing on the discussion of literature, and less attention to debate and oration. However, the society founded the Interscholastic Debating League for secondary schools across three states in 1914, and organized a rival society, the Philalethean Literary Society at the New Jersey College for Women (now Douglass College) in 1920. The society, however, declined and ceased to exist in 1932.
The societies engaged in rivalry by acquiring honorary members, who were believed in publicizing their acceptance, to raise the prestige of the society, serving to benefit the society through fundraising, as well as the donation of books and other materials. Honorary members leading historical, political, and literary figures of the nineteenth century, including most notably James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
, Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
, Fitz-Greene Halleck
Fitz-Greene Halleck
Fitz-Greene Halleck was an American poet notable for his satires and as one of the Knickerbocker Group. Born and reared in Guilford, Connecticut, he went to New York City at the age of 20, and lived and worked there for nearly four decades. He was sometimes called "the American Byron"...
, Thomas Alva Edison, and Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen was a member of the United States Senate representing New Jersey and a United States Secretary of State.-Early life and education:...
. However, In 1879, when American humorist and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
was invited, and accepted honorary membership in the Philoclean Society, he did not render the customary monetary donation.
In the same capacity that he was only partly accepted as a member of the Rutgers Glee Club, the singer, athlete, Rutgers valediction 1919 and political radical, Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
was elected to the Philoclean Society in 1917 without being allowed to fully share in its festivities due to the racist climate in the United States at the time.
Background Information
- Demarest, William Henry Steele. History of Rutgers College: 1776-1924. (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers College, 1924).
- Larkin, Vincent S. (compiler) Inventory to the Records of the Philoclean Society of Rutgers College, 1825-1927 (Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries) http://www2.scc.rutgers.edu/ead/uarchives/philof.html
- McCormick, Richard P. Rutgers: a Bicentennial History. (New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1966).
- Schmidt, George P. Princeton and Rutgers: The Two Colonial Colleges of New Jersey. (Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand, 1964).